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Opera Review: Oresteia at Bard SummerScape

Passion in the palace: Nerone (Alison Taylor Cheeseman, left) macks on Poppea (Greer Davis) in Dell'Arte Opera Ensemble's L'Incoronazione di Poppea. Photo by Brian Long © 2013 Dell'Arte Opera Ensemble.

Classical Ticker The Dell'Arte Opera Ensemble took a major chance with this year's Summer Repertoire Project, pushing into the deep waters of Behind The Latest Round Renaissance opera with its first production of Claudio Monteverdi's ONfP RBruised Feelings At The 1642 masterpiece L'Incoronazione di Poppea. Although it is the last of MAfitnenre nsoewta cOorncthreascttra Monteverdi's works for the Venetian stage, Poppea is a milestone opera negotiations failed, the in that it was the first opera to portray actual historical figures on the Running scared: Orestes (Mikhail Vekua) flees the orchestra musicians were stage instead of mythological or allegorical figures. furies in Act III of Tanayev's opera. Photo by Corey locked out by management Weaver © 2013 Bard SummerScape. in October 2012, and the orchestra's situation seems to be growing more dire by This production, at the E. 13th Street Theater, used Spartan sets and Recordings Review: Cecilia Bartoli sings the week. The orchestra's Norma. minimal production values to depict the majesty of Ancient Rome. With 2013 summer season was canceled, and the ... these simple visuals, a successful performance rode on the voices. In Related Articles » Monteverdi operas, the very novelty of the operatic form meant that each aria or ensemble broke new musical ground. The whole cast Musician Creates Orchestra seemed aware of the imminence and importance of performing this OHutf fOinfg Utosne dP oFsltoppy Disks particular opera. It helps that the libretto is a red-blooded reversal of AThned mSeagda s Ccioenstioslte/tse .c.h.- saavy artist has turned a history that presents the ignoble Poppea and Nero as the heroes of the plethora of old tech devices day. ranging from floppy disks to outmoded printers into Victoria Crutchfield's direction blended modern sensibilities, steampunk an automated orchestra for style and a hint of Roman decadence to create a representational Roman his new music video, setting that was effective despite the shoe-string budget. A rolling set of "Polybius." Think Inspector The mezzo diva sings 'Casta diva.' Photo by Uli Gadget meets contemporary curtains and a tiled mosaic (covered and uncovered by changeable floor Weber © 2013 Decca Classics/UMG electronic music in ... surfaces) served as a central acting surface. The show's prologue and epilogue (featuring the "contest" between the gods of Fortune, Virtue Superconductor Archives Joshua Bell Teams Up With and Love that drives the plot forward) were staged as a mini-audience ▼ 2013 (223) tNhew M Yosotrlky TMiomzeasrt before the opera, with the opera's actual characters drawn from the little ▼ August 2013 (41) OFarmchielisatraity, they say, crowd and pulled deep into the story. breeds contempt. But that The 2013-2014 Superconductor Metropolitan maxim, however hoary, is Opera Pr... not unassailable. Audiences This fine cast of young singers was led by soprano Greer Davis in the for concerts of mainstream title role, a Roman noblewoman whose torrid affair with the Emperor Metropolitan Opera Preview: I Puritani orchestral repertory have Nero (Alison Taylor Cheeseman) leads to her elevation to the position Metropolitan Opera Preview: Arabella not yet grown tired of of Empress of Rome. Ms. Davis' small but pleasant soprano proved Tchaikovsky's showy, pliant, capable of intimate intertwinings with Nero in one scene and Metropolitan Opera Preview: Andrea Chénier songful Violin Concerto in flights of vocal ornamentation in key moments. Ms. Cheeseman was an D, composed in 1878 and Metropolitan Opera Preview: La Sonnambula ... edgy Nero, depicting a hint of the emperor's legendary instability (even sniffing cocaine at one point in the show) while melting to butter in the Recordings Review: Meet the New Gods Deltron 3030 announces presence of Poppea. Metropolitan Opera Preview: Wozzeck NAo.Vrt.h C Alumberican tour, cAo mfuplll elties tw oift hd a1t6e-sp iise cbelow, Opera Review: She Just Can't Wait to Be but it's worth noting here The intent and purpose of Dell'Arte's summer program is to provide Queen backing ... that a number of the stops young artists with a six-month opera boot camp in which to hone their will feature not only the musical, acting and diction skills. But the cast for Poppea had its share Metropolitan Opera Preview: The Enchanted Island stylings of Dan The of known artists too. Chief among these was countertenor Jeffery Automator, Del The Funky Mandelbaum, who has found a way off of the Metropolitan Opera's Metropolitan Opera Preview: Werther Homosapien, Kid Koala, Enchanted Island to appear in this show. As Ottone, his voice had a and a three-piece backing Concert Review: The Mother Weeps, the band, but also an clear, sweet tone that caressed the ear, important in the Act II scenes Voices Soar accompanying 16-piece when the character performed a long (and frequently cut) monologue. Metropolitan Opera Preview: Prince Igor orchestra. Drusilla was played by soprano Rachel Barker, a coquette who came Related Articles » into her own in the last act. Metropolitan Opera Preview: Rusalka powered by Metropolitan Opera Preview: Madama In the smaller roles, the finest performance came from towering bass Butterfly Hans Tashjian as Seneca, the Roman senator and philosopher whose Opera Review: Off the Rack opposition to Nero leads to self-slaughter in the bathtub. His Act I and The Opera Ticker II scenes displayed a firm, resonant instrument and a gravid stage Metropolitan Opera Preview: La bohème presence that led weight to this historically significant philosopher and Opera Classical Stage The Superconductor Interview: Victoria author. Katherine Howell played Octavia, Nero's first Empress. Her Singers Composer Crutchfield... jealousy of Poppea leads to the opera's murder plot . Ms. Howell is an Conductor Soprano Metropolitan Opera Preview: L'Elisir d'Amore Tenor operatic heroine in the making, with a sweet tone and compelling stage presence. Opera Review: The SPQR-Word Classical Music and Opera Metropolitan Opera Preview: Die Fledermaus LNieswtin Ygso rfko rT Aimuges. 23-29 The singers were helped by taut ensemble playing from conductor Dell'Arte Opera (Friday Jeffery Grossman and The Sebastians, a period chamber ensemble. With Concert Review: Trip Through Her Wires through Sunday) This ensemble, a valuable source just a few instruments, (and Mr. Grossman doubling on harpsichord and Metropolitan Opera Preview: The Magic Flute of performing experience electric organ, The Sebastians conveyed the majesty and complexity of Metropolitan Opera Preview: Der for young artists, is staging Monteverdi's score. In that small space, it was refreshing to hear the Rosenkavalier two operas set in ancient orchestral details of cello, theorbo and violins emerge and twine with Rome this summer. the voices, as the instruments commented on the action or simply Opera Preview: What Goes On in the Capital Monteverdi's “Incoronazione di Poppea” supported the singers' line. Although there were some cuts, the work Obituary: Regina Resnik, 1922-2013 (Friday and Sunday) is was played at a generally fast, yet precise tempo, compressing the action Metropolitan Opera Preview: Rigoletto directed by ... effectively and never losing the show's dramatic sensibility. Metropolitan Opera Preview: Die Frau ohne Seattle Opera's 'Ring' boosts You might also like: Schatten... eTchoen oSmeaytt,l eis Tainm iensternational dRriacwhard Wagner's 137-year- Metropolitan Opera Preview: Falstaff old, four-opera epic, based on the same Norse legends Aunt Petunia and the Deathly Opera that inspired Opera Review: Things Are Going to Get J.R.R.Tolkien's “Lord of Merry Here the Rings” trilogy, has been a centerpiece of Seattle Metropolitan Opera Preview: Tosca Opera's artistic mission Exploring Concert Review: Metropolitan Opera Metropolitan Opera Preview: Two Boys since 1975. A long-held Topographic Sunday Mass at Preview: La dream of the company's late Oceans Severance Hall Rondine Recordings Review: All The Young Dudes ... Metropolitan Opera Preview: Norma Opera gets an infusion of LinkWithin Metropolitan Opera Preview: A Midsummer rWocakshington Post Led Zeppelin fans found a Tweet 1 2 1 Night's Dr... new reason to dislike opera Concert Review: The Bucolic Beethoven this year — if they cared by Paul Pelkonen enough about opera to Metropolitan Opera Preview: The Nose dislike it in the first place. +2 Recommend this on Google Injured Mezzo Sues Metropolitan Opera The iconic band's bass Labels: baroque, classical music, italian opera, Monteverdi, Nero, opera player, John Paul Jones, Metropolitan Opera Preview: Così fan tutte scotched the most recent review, Paul Pelkonen, Poppea, Renaissance, Roman empire, Rome, round of rumors about a steampunk, Superconductor Robbery, Shootout, Revelation possible reunion ... Metropolitan Opera Preview: Eugene Onegin Discs offer previews of SF OSapne rFar'sa nfaclils csoe aCsohnronicle ► July 2013 (16) Like last year's schedule, ► June 2013 (16) the San Francisco Opera's ► May 2013 (28) fall lineup comprises a mere five operas, one 2 comments ► April 2013 (34) commissioned world premiere alongside multiple ► March 2013 (36) performances of standard- ► February 2013 (26) rep works that testify to the company's still-tightened Add a comment as Jeff Grossman ► January 2013 (26) purse strings. Among the ... powered by ► 2012 (394) ► 2011 (456) Like the site? Sign the guestbook! ► 2010 (252) Top comments View my Guestbook ► 2009 (29) Free Guestbooks by Bravenet.com ► 2008 (64)

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